Neuromuscular Therapy

Neuromuscular Therapy, or NMT, works with pain points, called Trigger Points, to relieve pain and tension in the body. It works with muscles, tendons and connective tissue to balance the body. When the muscles are “bound down” or have “knots,” the nerves can’t relay their information back to the brain. This causes the nerves to speed up their transmission which can throw off the equilibrium of the body leading to pain and dysfunction.

NMT works with the body to address certain elements that can cause pain in the body. The first is ischemia, which is a lack of bloody supply to the tissues. This can cause hypersensitivity to the touch which are Trigger Points. These are the pain points you feel when you rub your shoulders or your lower back after a long day at work or a long car ride.

NMT also addresses nerve entrapment and compression which can cause tingling and numbness. The best example of this is when you’re working at the computer and after a time, your fingers go numb. You think it’s your hands going to sleep, but it is actually the nerve in your neck being compressed by the scalene muscles causing nerve entrapment.

Postural Distortion is the imbalance of the muscular system. This is the result of muscles pulling against the skeletal system pulling you away from your ideal posture. This is most evident in the elderly, especially women, who have been sewing or crocheting a lot. Their neck is bent pretty far down and they have a pronounced hump in the upper back. This is caused from hours looking down at something on a table or in their hands. Over time, the muscles pull the bones into that posture and it takes time to get the posture back to where it should optimally be.

In addition to Postural Distortion, NMT also addresses Biomechanical Dysfunction. This is the muscular system being out of balance which can result in unhealthy movements including, but not limited to poor lifting habits, a bad golf swing, poor posture when siting at your desk or in your car.

All of these things are evaluated when you meet with your therapist. They can see each of these imbalances and will take the strides needed to bring your body back into harmony and balance. NMT works also with a lot of stretching techniques and Range of Motion tests to be sure that maximum movement is brought about at the end of each session.